a bit
fearful in the presence of their allies.

Now a still more formidable creature entered the cavern. It was the
First and Foremost of the Phanfasms and he proudly sat down in King
Roquat's own throne and demanded the right to lead his forces through
the tunnel in advance of all the others. The First and Foremost now
appeared to all eyes in his hairy skin and the bear's head. What his
real form was even Roquat did not know.

Through the arches leading into the vast series of caverns that lay
beyond the throne room of King Roquat could be seen ranks upon ranks of
the invaders--thousands of Phanfasms, Growleywogs and Whimsies standing
in serried lines, while behind them were massed the thousands upon
thousands of General Guph's own army of Nomes.

"Listen!" whispered Ozma. "I think we can hear what they are saying."

So they kept still and listened.

"Is all ready?" demanded the First and Foremost, haughtily.

"The tunnel is finally completed," replied General Guph.

"How long will it take us to march to the Emerald City?" asked the
Grand Gallipoot of the Growleywogs.

"If we start at midnight," replied the Nome King, "we shall arrive at
the Emerald City by daybreak. Then, while all the Oz people are
sleeping, we will capture them and make them our slaves. After that we
will destroy the city itself and march through the Land of Oz, burning
and devastating as we go."

"Good!" cried the First and Foremost. "When we get through with Oz it
will be a desert wilderness. Ozma shall be my slave."

"She shall be MY slave!" shouted the Grand Gallipoot, angrily.

"We'll decide that by and by," said King Roquat hastily. "Don't let us
quarrel now, friends. First let us conquer Oz, and then we will divide
the spoils of war in a satisfactory manner."

The First and Foremost smiled wickedly; but he only said:

"I and my Phanfasms go first, for nothing on earth can oppose our
power."

They all agreed to that, knowing the Phanfasms to be the mightiest of
the combined forces. King Roquat now invited them to attend a banquet
he had prepared, where they might occupy themselves in eating and
drinking until midnight arrived.

As they had now seen and heard all of the plot against them that they
cared to, Ozma allowed her Magic Picture to fade away. Then she turned
to her friends and said:

"Our enemies will be here sooner than I expected. What do you advise
me to do?"

"It is now too late to assemble our pe